The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-30
RUBBER SHOES
WHAT THEY ARE MADE OF AND
How MANUFACTURED.

NVllNl IliEl ANf Made OF M
HOW MANUFACTURED.
The Varied Processes Through which tho
Crude Huber Passes Before II Is Fit for
C.e-Ths Strange, Eventfui History Of
our Damp.weather Footgcnr.
About five years ago theden,and for these
very convenient articles Of wearing apparel
exceeded The supply, md In answer to 1t
rubber shoc factories sprang up all over tho
country. This important branch OF industry
gives employment to scores of men, women
ard boys. It's consideration Is therefore Of
morc thar passing interest.
From tho tinc the crude rubber Is weighed
In tho "wasliro0m" until the boots and
shoes nrc packed preparatory to shipment 1t
u,as.es through nj least two chemical changes
md tho hands Of many skilled and unskilled
workmcn. The managers Of our "modcl'
rubber factories arc very cautious Of allow
iIg visitors to pass through their works lest
perchance some expert" may detect ono Of
tho many secrets Of Compromising" MS
every superintendent has his book OF COM
pounds" which Is jealousy guarded. Being
assured that their visitors nrc ignorant Of tho
process aud will leave tho premises no better
informed regarding tho secrets than when
they entered, no objections are made.
tt the uninitiated, however, the work Is
ret ytid o. interest, and cniightcns them
IUNL ono point viz: Why their rubber
foot.rcar succambs so readily TO wear.
Starting from The storchousc VIC pause n
momcr' 10 look nj The crudc material. The
,Iincipa' gums used arc called "Fine Para,
Coarse Para. Central, O~rnngc-ball, Thimblc,"
&c. &c. .Finc Para Is the best, and was
sold for 81 2s per pound about four years
sirce, when this article was ''cornered." 1t
is O. G dirty brown color, gives of u smoky
odol. are cor cs from Para packed In strong
boxes The pieces called "bottlcs and bis.
cults are IL tho shape Of a soldiers cantccnt
though much larger. "'Coare Para" re.
scmblcs n ncgro's head with a superintendent
growth Of wool. Is about the same color as
thG "Fine" and the same smoky odor Is
noticeable. This comes from the fact that.
10 harder IL fol expectation, the gum when
taken from the trees III sottth America is
held over asmoldering fire OF BRAZILIAN nuts
that emits dense volumes Of smoke. "Ccn,
tral, SO called, Is very dark, md in appear
c reminds n OF huge beef .livcrs. "or.
nngc-balr' is usually about the size Of n small
grange. Of n dirty yellow color, tibrcs OF
which can b. caslly picked oil. "Ihimble'
comes IN small pieces shaped like a tailor
thimble. is tine cheapest grade ind a only
DO used in connection with the better quality.
From the storehouse the pure gum
Is takcr to the Mushroom" weighed
md put piece by piece into the
."cracker," n machine consisting of q
heavy iron frame with two corrugated steel
rolls, set side by side less thanan inch apart,
that rcvolyc in opposite directions propelled
by u series of gears which "mash" into coss
bolted ona shaft sunk below the level of the
floor. No belts are used to drive the pom
derous machinery and the adjustment oftle
shifting requires great skill and scientific
nicely. Suspended over the rolls Of the
Cracker is n water pipe shaped like IN in.
vcrted T c%oarsely perforated, and water falls
upon the rolls and gum continually, the
quantity being increased or diminished by
means Of n valve. The gum passing between
the rolls falls in q shaPeless mass upon a
shallow tray made to receive 1t, from which
it is taken TO the washer" n machine SINH
lar in construction to the cracker" with
the exception thatthe rolls arc much shorter.
Here n I pipe Is arranged as above and the
snapcless mass is drawn between the rolls,
when all DIRT and foreign substances are
washed away ut the same time, being run
into strips about ten inches in width and
from fifteen to twenty yards in length. These
strips nrc placed on a low four-wheel truck
and taken to the drying-roonl, where they
are hung upon bars OF wood suspended from
the low ceiling. The temperature OF this
room is kept ut .about eighty degrees
and the gum remain mere until perfectly
dry. When first hung Its color resembles
light New Orleans moiasses; when dry II IS
jet black and very classic.
We come now TO the compromising
room," where the grand secrets OF the
many formulas arc lntr.lsted to skilled
workmen. The air OF TINS room IS heavy
with dust Of lithaFee, French zinc,
lamr black. Paris white, boited whiting and
sulphur. Fitch, hard tar and shoddy are
three other ingredients used. The latte,
article is made Of worn.out rubber boots and
shoes ground up, MI cloth and fbrous sub
stances carefully eliminated. Certain qunn,
titles Of the different grades of pure gum
with portions Of the ~above.named chemicals
and shoddy carefully weighed out, arc put to
Scthcr in large pans. This mixture is called
q "batch" and is now ready for the FINDERS in
the next room. "Batcltes" for heels, sole
and uppcrs are compounded differently and
this addition Of chemicals takes away thu
natural elasticity of the gum. Here then
we have the first chemical change. Thu
grinders" mounted on iron francs
like the "washers,n are4two smooth
hollow cylinders side by side through which
hot water continually masses. introduced nj
one end through iron pines and o,. at III,
other by a like arrangement. These also
reyolye in opposite directions and receive
their motive power from an underground
shaft by complicated sets Of gears. When
tho contents ofthc mans arc no,1rCl uron thcsf